Today there are increasing concerns about the toxicity of chemicals in the environment, including flame retardants. Recently, halogen containing flame retardants have especially come under attack since their presence has been found to be increasing in the environment. For example, several of the polybromo diphenyloxides (PBDO) have already been banned from use.
Formaldehyde is another chemical that poses as a potential problem in the environment. Most durable phosphorus containing flame retardant systems available for cellulosics requires formaldehyde to “insolublize” the flame retardant materials for durability to laundering. Thus, there is a need for formaldehyde-free flame retardant compositions and methods of their use for manufacturing durable formaldehyde-free flame retardant cellulosic materials.